


The Companion

by FlyingShadow09



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Book 3: Fire, F/M, Fire Nation Royal Family, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 18:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21202091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingShadow09/pseuds/FlyingShadow09
Summary: Zuko was given a gift from his Uncle during the failed invasion of Ba Sing Se when he was a child.  Once he returns to the Fire Nation he is plagues by his thoughts about what became of that gift.  The gift changes everything when he decides to set out to teach the Avatar Fire Bending.Canon Divergence Occurs when Zuko is back at the Palace in the Fire Nation after his exile.  This story explores themes of character introspection, slavery (because of coarse the Fire Nation enslaved people), false images, propaganda, family, loyalty, bravery, and kindness.





	1. A Priceless Gift & A Sleepless Night

\--Prologue: A Priceless Gift-- 

"Your uncle has sent you an interesting gift from Ba Sing Se," Zuko's mother spoke. Her voice had an unusual hesitance to it. Zuko looked up from feeding the turtleducks and saw a mournful look in his mother's eyes she reached a hand out to the eight-year-old prince. For the first time Zuko felt hesitation when reaching for his mother's hand, what could have been so awful that his mother didn't even want to give it to him. 

His Uncle Iroh was a just and powerful warrior who had been fighting at the walls surrounding Ba Sing Se with his son, Lu Ten, by his side. The two had been challenged by Fire Lord Aulon to capture the jewel of the Earth Kingdom. They had been gone for over a year now, but Zuko's memories of his uncle and cousin were all positive. He hoped that they would soon return, maybe then his sister, Azula, would stop talking so casually about their family members dying.

He took his mother's hand and stood to follow her. "I didn't want to give this to you," she told him softly, "But, your father insisted." She sighed and walked him to his room.

There, in the center of the room, a young man who looked to be a year or two older than Zuko was kneeling. He wore dark red pants and no shirt. Across his chest and back were scars, his dark hair was pulled into a respectable bun, tied with a simple black ribbon. The young man's head was bowed low enough that his entire face was concealed, despite the fact that he sat with a straight back and his hands resting open and up on his thighs.

Zuko didn't want to walk into his room and looked instead at his mother, trying to understand the nature of this gift. His uncle had sent him a person?

\--Chapter 1: A sleepless night--

Zuko sat in his room staring at the rug at the foot of his bed. Before his exile Kasaru would have been kneeling there, not looking at him but softly speaking. Telling him tales and legends from around the world. The boy had been his only truly loyal companion. Despite the differences in their situation, Zuko had never felt entitled to betray the trust of the older boy. Though, truthfully, Zuko doubted the boy ever truly gave him much trust. 

During his years of exile Zuko wondered how much his companion of five years even liked him. The boy had always seemed calm and spoke in gentle tones. He had followed Zuko around dutifully and bore Azula's cruelty when she became bored without so much as a flinch. Zuko had envied the level of separation that Kasaru could put between himself and the rest of the world. 

The only thing that gave Zuko hope that Kasaruu may have cared for him was the memory of the look in the other boy's when his Father announced his sentence. His companion's eyes had met Zuko's for the first time in the five years that they had known each other, the startling bright green orbs had been so wide that that Zuko could see the whites all the way around them. Kasaru's mouth had been set into a grim line. Still, the rest of his body was held in the same neutral straight-backed, kneeling position he had been in before.  
When Iroh had arrived at the dock, announcing that he would go with Zuko, the young prince had asked if his uncle thought it would be okay for Kasaru to join them as well. There was the all too familiar look of regret in his eyes, "I did not see Kasaru, I stopped by your room to collect him, but he was nowhere to be found," Iroh had hesitated before continuing, "Many things were broken in your room. The rug was out in the hall," Iroh sighed, "I don't know where he was taken. We have no time to find him, we must go before your father decides to do worse to you."

As Zuko lay awake he wondered, as he often did, what had truly happened to Kasaru. He had mentioned his companion to Azula once, she had laughed and said he ran away. While it could be true, the certainty in his uncle's voice when he had said that Kasaru had been taken haunted Zuko. His companion would have been essentially free if he came with Zuko, why would he run? 

Getting out of bed, Zuko checked that his door was locked before kneeling on the same rug that Kasaru had always knelt on. Zuko mimicked his companion’s near constant position of servitude. Within five minutes the position became extremely uncomfortable. He forced himself to stay still and tried to recall his favorite story. The tale of Wan and Raava, the beginning of the Avatars. While he could recall the whole tale word for word, he could not clearly recall the soft and comforting cadence that had told the story to him. Zuko had also favored the tales that were told through songs, especially after his companion's voice had deepened with age.

After kneeling for an hour Zuko managed to drag himself back into a standing position, pins and needles going through his legs. He decided that he needed to visit his uncle, maybe the man knew more than he had shared about Kasaru's disappearance. The prince shook his legs out until he felt that he could walk steadily, all the while wondering how Kasaru had regularly knelt in that position for hours, then could rise to standing position so smoothly and follow (exactly two steps behind and half a step to the left) Zuko without a single hitch in his step.

Zuko dressed as simply as was allowable for a prince, missing the days when he could just through on the same shirt he had worn the day before with a pair of trousers. Missing being allowed to be anonymous. Missing even just being on the ship with the same crew, the crew that had not respected him but had been willing to obey him out of respect for his uncle. 

The prince was ashamed of his behavior as the ship's captain. His single-minded determination to find the Avatar and willingness to disregard everyone's wellbeing to reach that goal reminded him far too much of Azula. Perhaps that had been his motivation, their father had always favored her. His uncle had been able to see through his posturing and had stuck by him through everything...his uncle had been wrong though, in the end Zuko had made the decision that he needed to return to the Fire Nation.

Lighting a single lamp and Zuko walked quietly through the halls of the palace. Keeping his steps light, as if he were being the Blue Spirit, not wanted to alert everyone to his presence in the hall. If someone, especially Azula, were to know he was up there would be questions that he couldn't answer. Zuko wasn't sure what he was doing himself, or why he couldn't sleep. Zuko certainly shouldn't mention that now that he was back at the palace, he couldn't let go of the ache of his missing companion.  
Zuko finally came upon the entrance of the caverns that housed the dungeons. The guards looked at him then stepped aside and opened the doors. There were some perks to having his "honor" restored. He was being obeyed and no one questioned him (aside from Azula and his father). He walked to his uncle's cell.

"Where did he come from?" Zuko asked. Iroh didn't turn his back on Zuko like he had in the past. "Kasaru had to come from somewhere, where did he get those scars?" The retired general looked at Zuko, but did not answer. "Do you know where he is now?" His uncle met his eyes, looked to the left briefly, then returned his gaze before turning his back on his nephew.

"I don't want to hurt him," Zuko said softly, "I just need to know Azula didn't kill him. That he is safe somewhere." Zuko shook his head, "I know you have no reason to believe me, but for years, Kasaru could have killed me in my sleep. He was beaten and mistreated by father and Azula, but he was still kind to me. He was still a child when he was enslaved and sent to me, he was so well trained. Who was he really?"

For a moment, Zuko thought Iroh's head had raised, he thought that perhaps the man would tell him something about his old companion. However, minutes passed and there was still silence from the man. Iroh turned around and looked at his nephew before looking once again to his left and turning his back on him, Iroh laid down on his side and took a deep breath before letting it out.

The prince sighed, “I don't understand why you would send me a slave. I know they exist, but besides Kasaru I never saw any of them. They work in the mines, or in back rooms." Zuko clenched his fist, "I don't understand you Old Man." Instead of shouting like he had in the past, Zuko whispered the last sentence before turning around and making his way back to the palace, resigned to the idea that he would get no more sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

\--Chapter 2: The Eclipse--

Zuko stood in his safe room in the bunker that the royal family had evacuated to in order to wait out the eclipse. It was time to leave, he had spoken to his uncle about his great grandfathers and meditated on the self-hatred and internal anger. He gripped the head piece his uncle had handed down to him. Zuko may have still been filled with anger and confusion towards his uncle, but he was thankful that the man was at least speaking to him again.

He raced from the chamber where he had just faced his father, both of them without their bending abilities towards his uncle's cell. Surely, he would be able to break him out and escape with him. He and his uncle would be together again and they would be able to teach the Avatar everything that they knew, they would be able to make everything right again. He finally felt as if what was right and what was wrong was truly clear for the first time.

Zuko ran into the prison and saw that the guards had already been taken out by somebody. The cage within Iroh's cell was torn apart, when Zuko shook the guardsman tied up in the cell the man just muttered dazedly about his uncle being a one-man army. The prince knew better than anyone else that there was more to his uncle than meets the eye. He was about to turn and make his way out when he felt in his gut that there was more in this prison for him to see. 

Zuko remembered that his uncle had repeatedly looked to his left when he had asked about Kasaru. The man had even made a point to meet his eyes then look towards the left. Zuko felt stupid for not considering before that Kasaru may be nearby. He couldn't abandon his old companion again. He stepped out of the cell and ran down the hall to the left glancing into each cell to see if he could see Kasaru.

Finally, Zuko rounded a turn and glanced into a cell to see familiar dark hair and a back that he was used to seeing, although more scarred than he recalled. Sprawled face down on the stone floor was a figure that was once more familiar to him than his own reflection. "Kasaru," Zuko whispered, "Is that you?"

The man in the cell shuddered but lifted his head slightly and tilted it towards the door. "My prince," he whispered with a slight tilt to his lips. Zuko began to pick at the lock. The other man began to try to push himself into a sitting position but collapsed back down to the ground.

"I'm here," Zuko whispered to him, "We're going to get out of here, it's okay." It broke his heart to see his once graceful companion unable to even sit up.

"I knew you would return," the deep voice sounded scratchy and broken, not at all the smooth cadence that he recalled. The lock popped open and Zuko rushed into the cell, he helped his companion onto his back and stood, supporting the other man by holding his thighs and took off at a run. 

Zuko found a war balloon that was not in use and climbed in, he gently laid his companion down and started the fire. The balloon rose into the air, "Where are we going?" Kasaru asked softly, turning to look at Zuko through his ragged hair.

"We are going to find the Avatar," Zuko smiled at his companion, "I need to teach him Fire Bending, then he can restore balance to the world." He looked forward again so that he could follow the Avatar's bison without being seen. The self-exiled prince thought he knew where they were going but he wanted to watch them incase his instincts led him wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

Looking at his companion he noticed that the now skeletal man was shivering, he took off his cloak and laid it over the companion. Zuko wondered if the other man would look him in the eyes, he had only done it once before. However, all Zuko wanted was to see the green eyes again, without the terror. He wanted to know if he could have a relationship with his companion, a healthy one this time. There was no one besides his uncle and Kasaru that Zuko felt he could truly trust, his uncle had left (rightfully so, after all that Zuko had done), but Kasaru was here.

Zuko noticed that they were nearing the air temple and he dipped the balloon down and landed at the edge of the temple. He didn't want to approach the group so soon after their escape, they were likely still angry and full of adrenaline, he would need to wait for them to calm down some before he tried to convince them of his change of heart. After his conversation in the caves at Ba Sing Se with Katara just before he betrayed his uncle, he wasn't sure he could convince them. Looking down at Kasaru, Zuko decided he needed a couple of days to help his companion recuperate anyway. 

After landing the balloon out of sight Zuko urged Kasaru onto his back once more before climbing out of the balloon and made his way into one of the abandoned buildings. He eased Kasaru onto the ground and knelt next to him. He walked back to the balloon and grabbed the bag he had packed before leaving. 

"I have food," Zuko said taking a seat next to his companion. "Would you prefer dried fruits, or dried meats?" Kasaru exhaled and shook his head at the prince.

"I would just like water, my prince," Kasaru whispered, "I am too tired to eat such things." Zuko frowned in worry but handed the water flask to the weakened man.

"You don't need to call me that," Zuko said bowing his head, "I'm not much a prince anyway, and I have left my people."

"You have always been more deserving of the title than any other in the Nation," Kasaru replied after taking a sip of water from the flask. "You are my prince."

"You are not Fire Nation," Zuko sighed, "I shouldn't rule over you."

"We are one people," Kasaru countered, "You are my prince, I will follow you." Zuko wondered how much of the loyalty his companion was showing came from his heart, and how much came from his years of having no choice but to follow him. Zuko settled at Kasaru's head and lifted it into his lap.

"Thank you," Zuko whispered, "Let's rest for now. We'll see about reaching out to the Avatar tomorrow. He needs to learn to fire bend."


End file.
